Charlie Mars recently released his fifth album Blackberry Light and has been spending some time at Rams Head On Stage lately. Mars headlined in August (presented by local radio station WRNR), and was back again last Monday night-opening for Steve Earle.

I had a chance to sit down with Charlie before his sound check to get a glimpse into the man. A couple of things you should know about Charlie–he hails from the very deepest of ‘The South’- Oxford, Mississippi- where he still resides. If I had to guess, he was probably the kind of kid that good southern mommas warned their teen aged daughters about..and they didn’t listen. In true southern tradition, Charlie’s also a serious raconteur- as evidenced by a few of the yarns he spins during his performances.

You see, there was the time his young nephews scandalized the local kindergarten when they had their classmates singing about getting high and listening to The Dark Side of the Moon (lyrics from his 2009 hit Listen To The Dark Side). Believe me, it’s a very funny story, and it’s probably true.

When asked who he would most like to perform with (dead or alive) Charlie’s admiration for Bob Marley is obvious- his face lights up with very suggestion of it. His other passion (aside from music and Marley) is football. Specifically, New Orleans Saints football. He has even sung the national anthem at one of their games; and Charlie is quick to point out that The Saints won the Super Bowl that season. Maybe we should try to get him back for Navy football this fall.

In the meantime, be sure to visit Charlie’s web-site www.charliemars.com and have a listen for yourself. You won’t be sorry. To view some more images from my sit-down with Charlie Mars, please visit my gallery!

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